After McConnaughay was hired as law school dean in 2002, some school officials suspected he took the post with the aim of moving the school to Penn State’s main campus in State College. McConnaughay denied those claims, but aligned himself with Penn State President Graham Spanier and others who wanted to close the Carlisle school.

After opposition from the community and lawmakers, the proposal was withdrawn, and in 2005, Gov. Ed Rendell said Penn State would keep a law school in Carlisle for 20 years in exchange for $25 million in state aid for Dickinson.

When the dual-campus compromise was reached -- an approach used by no other law school in the country -- McConnaughay played a vital role in developing the educational program for it.

Prior to working at Dickinson, McConnaughay practiced law for 18 years with the firm of Morrison & Foerster and served as a law professor at the University of Illinois from 1996-2002.

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